Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Joanna Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an American film and television actress. She plays the role of Rachel Green on Friends, a role for which she won both an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. She has starred in several Hollywood films, often alongside a member of the Frat Pack. While most of her film roles have been in comedies such as Bruce Almighty, Office Space, Rumor Has It, and the romantic comedies Along Came Polly and The Break-Up, she has also appeared in films from other genres, such as the crime thriller Derailed. Biography Early life Aniston was born in Sherman Oaks, California and grew up in New York City. She is the daughter of the actor John Aniston and actress Nancy Dow. Aniston has two half-brothers, John Melick (older) and Alex Aniston (younger). Aniston's father is a Greek American born on the island of Crete, Greece, while her mother was born in New York City of English, Scottish and Italian descent. Aniston's godfather was the late actor Telly Savalas, her father's best friend. Aniston lived in Greece for one year as a child with her family, and they later relocated to New York City. Her father has appeared in the soap operas Days of our Lives, Love of Life and Search for Tomorrow. Career Aniston moved to Hollywood and was cast in her first television role in 1990, starring as a regular on the short-lived series Molloy and in the TV movie Camp Cucamonga. She also co-starred in Ferris Bueller, a television adaptation of the 1986 hit movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off. The series, however, was quickly canceled. Aniston then appeared in two more failed television comedy shows, The Edge and Muddling Through, and guest-starred on Quantum Leap, Herman's Head, and Burke's Law. After the string of canceled shows, along with her appearance in the critically derided 1992 horror film, Leprechaun, Aniston considered giving up acting. Aniston's plans changed, however, after auditioning for Friends, a sitcom that was set to debut on NBC's 1994-1995 fall line-up. The producers of the show originally wanted Aniston to audition for the role of Monica Geller, but she persuaded them that she was better suited for the role of Rachel Green. She was cast in the role and played the character from 1994 until the show ended in 2004. The program was hugely successful and Aniston, along with her co-stars, gained wide renown among television viewers. Her hairstyle at the time, which became known as "The Rachel", was widely copied. Aniston received a salary of one million dollars per episode for the last two seasons of Friends, as well as five Emmy nominations (two for Supporting Actress, three for Lead Actress), including a win for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. According to the Guinness World Book of Records (2005), Aniston (along with her female co-stars) became the highest paid TV actress of all time with their $1 million-per-episode paycheck for the tenth season of Friends. In 2007, Aniston guest starred in an episode of Courteney Cox Arquette's series Dirt. Aniston played Arquette's snobby rival Tina Harrod. In addition to acting, Aniston has also directed a hospital emergency room-set short film named Room 10, starring Robin Wright Penn and Kris Kristofferson; Aniston has noted that she was inspired to direct by actress Gwyneth Paltrow, who directed a short film in 2006. Forbes listed Aniston as the 10th richest woman in the entertainment industry for the year 2007. She is behind such powerhouses as Oprah Winfrey, J. K. Rowling, Madonna, Celine Dion and Jennifer Lopez and is ahead of Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and the Olsen twins. Aniston's net worth is approximately $110 million. Aniston was also included in the annual Star Salary Top 10 of trade magazine The Hollywood Reporter for 2006. According to Forbes in October 2007, Aniston was the top-selling celebrity face of the entertainment industry. In 2008 Aniston landed the seventeenth spot on Forbes Celebrity 100 list based on "earnings and fame." Forbes listed Aniston's earnings as $27 million. Personal life Aniston has previously dated musician Adam Duritz, and was previously engaged to actor Tate Donovan before breaking up. Her high-profile relationship with actor Brad Pitt was frequently publicized in the press. She married Pitt on July 29, 2000, in a lavish Malibu wedding. For years their marriage was considered the rare Hollywood success. However, when Pitt showed up to his Ocean's Twelve premiere without his wife, rumors that their relationship was on the rocks began. In early January 2005, the couple was seen vacationing in the Caribbean with her Friends co-star Courteney Cox and her husband, actor David Arquette, and photos on the beach showed them kissing and affectionate. They shocked their fans several days later when they announced their separation on January 7, 2005. She has also stated that she was devastated by the death of her longtime therapist, whose work helped to make the separation from Pitt easier. Aniston has said that her relationship with Pitt, which she does not regret, was "seven very intense years together" and that "it was a beautiful, complicated relationship." Since the couple's divorce, Aniston has been romantically linked with actor Vince Vaughn, British model Paul Sculfor, actor Orlando Bloom and singer John Mayer. In August 2006, Aniston denied rumors that she was engaged to Vaughn or that the actor had proposed. In October 2006, gossip magazine Us Weekly quoted sources from Vaughn that the couple had broken up. In December 2006, representatives for both Aniston and Vaughn confirmed that they had indeed split up a few weeks before when Aniston visited Vaughn in London. Aniston is also a supporter of Friends of El Faro, a grassroots non-profit that helps raise money for Casa Hogar Sion -- an orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico and has appeared in a few advertisements on TV for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. She is stated to be the godmother of best friend and actor Courtney Cox's child Coco. Filmography Television Awards * 1996: Screen Actors Guild Award: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, Friends * 2001: People's Choice Award: Favorite Female Television Performer, Friends * 2001: Aftonbladet TV Prize, Sweden: Best Foreign TV Personality- Female, Friends * 2002: Emmy Award: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, Friends * 2002: People's Choice Award: Favorite Female Television Performer, Friends * 2002: Hollywood Film Festival: Actress of the Year * 2002: Teen Choice Award: Choice TV Actress- Comedy, Friends * 2002: Aftonbladet TV Prize, Sweden: Best Foreign TV Personality- Female, Friends * 2003: Golden Globe Award: Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy, Friends * 2003: People's Choice Award: Favorite Female Television Performer, Friends * 2003: Teen Choice Award: Choice TV Actress- Comedy, Friends * 2003: Teen Choice Award: Choice Movie Actress- Drama/Action Adventure, The Good Girl * 2003: Aftonbladet TV Prize, Sweden: Best Foreign TV Personality- Female, Friends * 2004: Logie Awards: Most Popular Overseas Star, Friends * 2004: People's Choice Award: Favorite Female Television Performer, Friends * 2004: Teen Choice Award: Choice TV Actress- Comedy, Friends * 2004: Aftonbladet TV Prize, Sweden: Best Foreign TV Personality- Female, Friends * 2006: Teen Choice Award: Choice Movie Chemistry (shared with Vince Vaughn), The Break-Up * 2007: People's Choice Award: Favorite Female Movie Star * 2007: GLAAD Media Awards: Vanguard Award External links Jennifer Aniston at the Internet Movie Database Jennifer Aniston at TriviaTribute.com Notable Achieveble Aniston became one of the highest-paid TV actresses in history when she earned $1 million per episode for her role as Rachel Green during the last two seasons of Friends. Aniston received five Emmy Awards nominations for her work on Friends,winning once for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. Aniston's most successful film was Bruce Almighty in 2003,which grossed $485 million worldwide. Aniston has won 5 People's Choice Awards,5 Teen Choice Awards,1 Screen Actors Guild,and 1 Golden Globe Award. Category:Actors Category:Notable Achievements